Bubba’s last man standing in Match Play

A month ago, Bubba Watson was viewed as a player headed to pasture, his career lost in the wilderness. Now, with the Masters just a week away, Bubba’s one of the favorites to bring home the green jacket.

Proving his win at Riviera was no aberration, Watson upset Justin Thomas in the WGC-Match Play semi-finals on Sunday before quickly dismissing Kevin Kisner in the championship to capture his second title of the season.

“It’s one of those things, I got off to a hot start and I’m just focused on golf,” Watson said after his victory. “So focused on committing to the shots, there was about four or five shots throughout the week where I wasn’t committed, where I kind of blanked out, and so, that’s pretty good over a 100-and-something holes, however many holes we played.”

Although his triumph at the Genesis Open was unexpected, it wasn’t a shock, as Watson had won the event twice. The same could not be said for this tournament, as match play had historically given Bubba fits. Not that one could tell from his work at Austin Country Club. Following a 2-0-1 pool-play record, Watson eliminated Brian Harman 2 up and Kiradech Aphibarnrat 5 & 3 on Saturday before knocking out Thomas 3 & 2 and Kisner 7 & 6.

It was further testament that Watson has shaken the troubles that dropped him from No. 4 in the world to 117th in an 18-month span, and that, as he nears his 40th birthday, the sun is far from setting on his career.

Poulter misinformed over Masters invite

Remember when Ian Poulter thought he lost his tour status last year, only to find out through the detective work of Brian Gay that he actually had done enough to earn his card? This is just like that, only the exact opposite.

Following a Saturday morning victory in the Match Play’s Sweet 16, the 41-year-old Englishman was told by officials and media that he had done enough to jump into the world’s top 50, thus earning an invite to the Masters. One slight problem: before his afternoon match against Kevin Kisner, Poulter was told he, in fact, had not yet breached the top 50. With this information in hand, Poulter lost to Kisner 8 and 6, and was not particularly pleased after his loss.

Can sympathize with the man. I won the 2016 Masters lottery, only to find out that A) Because I changed addresses, my winning bid was no longer accepted and B) I would not be covering the event in person. I’m sure this knowledge will go ways in alleviating his pain.

Luckily for Poulter, an Augusta invite is still up for grabs, as a strong performance at this week’s Houston Open can move him into the top 50.

More fan misbehavior on tour

Crowd etiquette, or the lack thereof, was a subject mostly canvassed at the Phoenix Open and Ryder Cup. Through a third of the 2018 season, it’s now become a weekly theme.

Joining the choir of Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, James Hahn took to Twitter following his Friday loss to Jason Dufner to lament the actions of a fan in the gallery:

“Fought hard today after a bad start. Two down, 4 to go, guy yells purposely on my back swing,” Hahn wrote. “Whether we like it or not, this is where the game is going. My fault for not expecting the worst from fans. Just sucks to lose a match that way.”

Hahn later deleted the Tweet, saying that many were misinterpreting his statement. “I respect and love all golf fans but I can expect bad behavior from them,” Hahn said. “And I’m not blaming the fan for losing the match. Just disappointed I lost the deciding hole in that fashion.”

Interestingly enough, commissioner Jay Monahan said earlier in the week that players need to adjust to this new behavior.

“I believe that there was more that went into it that preceded and in a situation like that we’re hopeful our players will reach out to our security staff and they can handle that,” Monahan said. “But yelling, ‘get in the bunker,’ that’s part of what our players have to accept. In any sport, you go to an away game, in any other sport, and people aren’t rooting for you. Sometimes out here you’re going to have fans that aren’t rooting for you, but they can’t interfere with what you’re trying to do competitively.”

In short, don’t expect this issue to disappear anytime soon.

Garnett wins inaugural Corales

Brice Garnett went wire-to-wire to win the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic, the tour’s alternate event to the WGC-Match Play, for his first career victory. Garnett, who finished first on last year’s Web.com Tour regular-season money list, turned in a two-under 70 in brutal conditions to win the inaugural tournament by four shots.

“It was a hard day, but man it was a lot of fun to do this,” said Garnett. “I was just excited for the day. I knew it was going to be tough.”

Since the tournament was played opposite the Match Play, Garnett’s victory does not earn him a spot into the Masters in two weeks. But it does get him into the Sentry Tournament of Champions next January and secures his tour card through 2020, as well as earning him spots in the Players Championship and the PGA Championship.

Romo missed cut in tour debut

While Garnett won in the Dominican, Tony Romo stole the tournament spotlight, as the quarterback-turned-commentator was in the field via sponsor’s exemption. Similar to Steph Curry’s participation in a Web.com Tour event last summer, the invite drew its share of skepticism. Unlike Curry, Romo’s play did not silence the criticism.

The former Cowboys star actually enjoyed an auspicious start, playing his first 12 holes in even par. The final 24, however, were not as prosperous, as Romo went 15 over in this stretch to finish last.

“Short-sided a few times, made too many mistakes,” Romo said. “So a lot of stuff to learn from, and in a good way. I’ll be able to kind of assess why I didn’t play as well as I wanted to and then you go attack it. In a month from now I think we’ll see things a little better.”

Romo missed the cut by 16 shots and was six behind the next closest competitor. Romo won’t be the only celebrity to participate in a professional event this season, as musician Jake Owen is expected to play in the Web.com Tour’s Nashville Open in June.

Welcome, Taylor!

Attention all Fairgrounds golfers!! The Sonoma County Fairgrounds Golf Course is pleased to announce the arrival of our new Head Golf Professional Taylor Battaglia. Taylor is currently an Associate of the PGA Professional Golf Management Program working hard towards his goal of becoming a PGA Class A Golf Professional.

He was a former player for the Santa Rosa Junior College as well as the #1 player at Casa Grande High School. He was also the Head Coach for the Casa Grande High School Golf Team after he graduated. Moving on to bigger and better things he has landed the position as the Head Golf Professional here at the Fairgrounds and is excited to be a part of the team. Feel free to stop by the Pro Shop to welcome Taylor to the facility and sign up for a lesson! Below are Taylor’s lesson rates and junior lesson rates.

GOLF CLASSES

Check out some of the golf classes that we offer at Fairgrounds Golf Course!

Junior Golf School

April 11th-May 30th

Wednesdays 4pm-5:15pm

$175 per junior for the 8 week class

Daniel Stewart & new lead golf instructor Tayor Battaglia will teach the school. Each Wednesday juniors will go over a life skill, a golf rule, and a skill of the day. For more Information or to get your junior signed up please email Taylor by clicking below.

Spring Ladies Golf Class

Wednesdays 5:30-6:30

April 11th-May 9th

$100 per person for the 5 week class

Daniel Stewart and new lead golf instructor, Taylor Battaglia will teach the class. Each class ladies will go over a golf rule and a golf skill. It’s a great environment for beginners and even intermediate players that are looking to get their game back into shape! For more Information or to get signed up, please email Taylor by clicking below.

Spring Thursday Adult Golf Class

Thursdays 5:30-6:30

April 12th-May 10th

$100 per person for the 5 week class

Daniel Stewart and new lead golf instructor, Taylor Battaglia will teach the class. This class is for everyone. In the class the instructors will go over a golf rule and a golf skill. It’s a great environment for beginners and even intermediate players that are looking to get their game back into shape! For more Information or to get signed up please email Taylor by clicking below.

https://i2.wp.com/www.fairgroundsgolfcourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-23-at-1.02.19-PM.png?fit=593%2C497&ssl=1497593Teesnap Developerhttps://www.fairgroundsgolfcourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/logo-santarosa.pngTeesnap Developer2018-03-23 13:03:122018-03-23 13:04:59Want to Learn How to Golf? Check Out Some of Our Classes!

Home on the Range… Our Range!

With rain a reality these days, it’s difficult if not impossible to play golf or even hit balls on the range. But when you have a driving range that is not only covered, but lighted, it gives you options not available at other golf facilities.

Now open til 9PM!

Fairgrounds Golf Course has such a range and we want you to find out for yourself!

In addition to a protected driving range, we also offer the best practice green in the area, complete with two large bunkers, as well as a putting green. Our nine-hole course — seven par-3s, two par-4s — with alternate tees on each hole drains better than perhaps any course in the area. If you call, we will give you an honest assessment of conditions on the course or you can come and check it out before teeing it up.

Late Nights, Early Mornings.

We are open early in the morning and stay open until and after dark. Local golfers are discovering when they can’t practice elsewhere, they can practice at Fairgrounds! Before work, after work, lunch time… any time.

Come out and take advantage of the unique qualities we offer at Fairgrounds. We want you to make Fairgrounds Golf Course your go-to practice place.

https://www.fairgroundsgolfcourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/logo-santarosa.png00Teesnap Developerhttps://www.fairgroundsgolfcourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/logo-santarosa.pngTeesnap Developer2018-03-19 13:37:192018-03-19 13:37:19WATCH: Tiger Woods making a run at Bay Hill, birdies three of four to start back nine

There might be a few misguided souls that question the relevance and attraction of Tiger Woods in 2018. But they sure aren’t advertisers.

On Monday NBC Sports released its audience numbers from the Valspar Championship, where the 42-year-old Woods came this close to winning for the first time in five years. And according to the Peacock, viewers flocked to the broadcast in record numbers. The Golf Channel PR department reports that the final round at the Copperhead course drew a 5.11 overnight rating. A figure that is the highest non-major audience since the 2013 Players Championship (won by, you guessed it, Tiger Woods), and the highest non-Masters rating since the 2015 PGA Championship.

The group also announced that the final round lead-in on Golf Channel earned a 1.65 rating, becoming the highest-rated Golf Channel tour lead-in on record.

Wow, what an amazing week…people, atmosphere, adrenaline, back nine on Sunday, man I’ve missed this. Getting better. Thank you for all the support!

As for the digital front, only the last two Open Championships and the 2016 Ryder Cup drew higher than the 27.2 million minutes streamed on Golf Channel and NBC Sports platforms.

This is not particularly a surprise; two of Tiger’s other outings—the Farmers Insurance Openand Honda Classic—tied for the best TV marks of the season.

“He may be the biggest name in sports, matched only by Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali,” Neal H. Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and president of Pilson Communications, Inc., told Golf Digest after the Famers Insurance Open. “Does he still move the needle? The answer is yes.”

Tiger Woods is scheduled to play at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he’s won eight times in his career.

Broken down by injury or illness or slump so many times in her career, she keeps finding ways to overcome.

She did it again Sunday in brilliant fashion, coming from five shots behind in the final round to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore with a dramatic putt at the final hole, a 36-foot birdie from just off the front of the green.

Wie thrust her fist into the sky when that last putt fell, and then she punched the air twice more in giddy delight.

“I think that has to be the best putt of my career so far,” she said.

Four long, frustrating years after winning the U.S. Women’s Open, Wie was finally able to claim her fifth LPGA title.

“It’s been a tough journey since 2014,” she said. “It’s been kind of well documented. I’ve had some injuries, had a really bad year, just lost a lot of confidence. I’m just really proud of myself for pulling myself out of it.”

Wie’s parents, B.J. and Bo, were in the gallery following, as they always are. Her parents have been scrutinized and criticized as much as any in the sport over their handling of the former phenom. Wie, 28, said they were on her mind when that last putt dropped.

“When I made the putt, I could just picture my parents kind of celebrating,” Wie said. “My family believed in me relentlessly, and with that, I started to believe in myself.”

Wie beat a star-studded lineup Sunday that included 19 of the top 20 players in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings.

“This is Asia’s major,” Wie said.

With a bogey-free 7-under-par 65, Wie prevailed in a crazy afternoon of high drama, breaking out of a four-way tie for the lead with that birdie at the last. She finished at 17 under overall, a shot ahead of Brooke Henderson (67), Danielle Kang (70), Nelly Korda (71) and Jenny Shin (65).

“Everyone was really clustered up there on the leaderboard,” Wie said. “I’m just really proud of myself for making a lot of birdies, and [to] keep going.”

So many players got in the mix on the back nine, with one player after another mounting charges. The course record was 64, but five players equaled or broke the mark in the final round.

After her closing birdie, Wie had to wait in the wings and watch Korda and Kang miss birdie chances at the last that could have forced a playoff.

The victory was sweet for Wie for a lot of reasons, including her inability to close out a 54-hole lead in this event a year ago.

“I just wanted to get revenge after last year a little bit,” Wie said. “I kind of came with a slight chip on my shoulder in the morning.”

Wie overcame so much winning that U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014, when she finally looked ready to realize all her potential in a run to No. 1. But, she was derailed by a finger injury later that summer, and then by hip, knee and ankle injuries that led to an awful slump after that. When she finally looked as if she was turning a corner again last year, neck spasms and an emergency appendectomy derailed her in the summer.

“Definitely, my team and my family and my friends have pulled me out of the hard times and kept me going,” Wie said. “There have been moments where it was hard. It was hard to keep going and to keep playing.”

Wie’s longtime swing coach, David Leadbetter, has been there through all the challenges with her since she was 13.

“I can’t list all the injuries Michelle has had in her career,” Leadbetter said at year’s start. “I don’t think there is one joint or bone in her body that hasn’t had some sort of injury or issue.

“The main goal this year is really to see if she can go injury free.”

Leadbetter believes Wie hasn’t reached what she’s really capable of yet, but he’s hopeful this might be the year. There was promise loaded in Sunday’s victory.

Home on the Range… Our Range!

With rain a reality these days, it’s difficult if not impossible to play golf or even hit balls on the range. But when you have a driving range that is not only covered, but lighted, it gives you options not available at other golf facilities.

Fairgrounds Golf Course has such a range and we want you to find out for yourself!

In addition to a protected driving range, we also offer the best practice green in the area, complete with two large bunkers, as well as a putting green.

Our nine-hole course — seven par-3s, two par-4s — with alternate tees on each hole drains better than perhaps any course in the area. If you call, we will give you an honest assessment of conditions on the course or you can come and check it out before teeing it up.

Late Nights, Early Mornings.

We are open early in the morning and stay open until and after dark. Local golfers are discovering when they can’t practice elsewhere, they can practice at Fairgrounds! Before work, after work, lunch time… any time.

Come out and take advantage of the unique qualities we offer at Fairgrounds. We want you to make Fairgrounds Golf Course your go-to practice place.